President Trump on Wednesday brushed aside criticism from some of his biggest supporters such as Tucker Carlson and others in the MAGA base who have been outspoken about the U.S. steering clear of the war between Israel and Iran.
“My supporters are for me. My supporters are America First and Make America Great Again. My supporters don’t want to see Iran have a nuclear weapon,” Mr. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
Mr. Trump’s comments come amid a rapidly growing divide among some of his most vocal supporters, led in part by two prominent allies: former longtime adviser Steve Bannon and Mr. Carlson, a conservative commentator. The two continue to speak out against U.S. involvement in the Iran–Israel conflict.
Mr. Bannon went on Mr. Carlson’s podcast Monday and warned that increased involvement in Iran would “blow up” the Trump coalition and derail the president’s other priorities such as immigration. Mr. Carlson then appeared on Mr. Bannon’s show and said escalating U.S. involvement in Iran could lead to “the end of the American empire” and “effectively” end Mr. Trump’s presidency.
Speaking with reporters Thursday, the president said Mr. Carlson called and apologized, saying the conservative talker told him he “said things that were a little bit too strong.”
“If they think it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon, then they should oppose me, but nobody thinks it’s OK. People don’t want that,” he said. “I don’t want to fight, either. But if it’s a choice between fighting and him having a nuclear weapon, you have to do what you have to do. Maybe we won’t have to fight. Don’t forget, we haven’t been fighting.”
Mr. Trump said he asked Mr. Carlson if he was OK with Iran having nuclear weapons, and the conservative provocateur bristled.
“He sort of didn’t like that,” the president said. “And I said, ‘Well if it’s OK with you, then you and I do have a difference,’ but it’s really not OK with him.”
The president was also asked about Sen. Ted Cruz, Texas Republican, who offered full-throated support for overthrowing the Iranian government and deepening U.S. involvement in the fighting. But he also suggested that the U.S. is already heavily involved in Israel’s strikes on Iran, a position the Trump administration has denied.
“Ted Cruz is a nice guy. I mean he’s been with me for a long time,” Mr. Trump said.
Other leading MAGA voices also have weighed in against U.S. military intervention in Iran. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Georgia Republican, authored a lengthy social media post saying “Foreign wars/intervention/regime change will put America last, kill innocent people, making us broke and will ultimately lead to our destruction.”
On Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance came to Mr. Trump’s defense in an X post, saying that Iran cannot have uranium enrichment.
